Editor’s Note: Work your way down Travis’ Top 25 singles of the year to find out his #1 pick and then discover a bunch of bonus tracks at the bottom!
25. Ghost Culture – “Giudecca” / “Arms” (tie) – Two tracks from the early frontrunner for 2015’s album of the year. I can’t decide which one I like better, so it’s a tie.
24. Dedication – “I Ain’t Gonna Tell You” (DJ Kaos Highland Park Power Mix) – This was one of my staples whenever I DJed out and it never failed me. Old people, young people, everyone gets down to this track. Sounds like late 70’s solo MJ with a modern production touch.
23. Oliver – “Light Years Away” – If I had one of those alarm clocks that you could program to wake you up to a specific song, this would be the song I’d wake up to. I get a +10 energy boost every time I hear it.
22. David Woodcock – “Splinters” – Smart lyrics and a catchy melody. I got this album near the end of the year and I’ve been totally hooked ever since.
21. Action Bronson – “Easy Rider” – Aside from being a jam, this track produced the best music video of 2014.
20. Glass Animals – “Gooey”
19. Hidden Fees – “So What” – Vintage Jagger swagger meets !!!-style dance rock.
18. The Derevolutions – “Now You Know My Name” – This was the feelgood/car dancing jam of 2014.
17. Duke Dumont – “I Got U” (ft. Jax Jones)
16. Shamir – “If It Wasn’t True” – This was my favorite track from my favorite EP of the year.
15. ILoveMakonnen – “Club Goin Up On A Tuesday” – 2014: The year leftfield rap went mainstream.
14. 18+ – “Crow” – Sexiest jam of 2014.
13. Tkay Maidza – “U-Huh” – THUNDA FROM DOWN UNDA. This girl is going to be a star in 2015 – get on the bandwagon now. “U-Huh” is beyond catchy.
12. Brynjolfur – “The Save” – Hauntingly, achingly beautiful.
11. RiFF RaFF – “Lava Glaciers” (ft. Childish Gambino) – It’s all about the celestial atmosphere set by the insane Nektar sample flipped by Harry Fraud on this one.
10. PillowTalk – “Devil’s Run” – This sounds like what would happen if Bono sang a Springsteen-penned song that was produced by James Murphy.
9. Herve x Zebra Katz – “Tear The House Up” – The original and every remix of this song was on point.
8. Childish Gambino – “Sober”
7. Francois & The Atlas Mountains – “La Verite” – This was the catchiest tune of 2014.
6. Shiba San – “Okay” – If you went out to the club more than a handful of times this year, chances are you heard this song and chances are you went nuts when the bass dropped on it.
5. De Lux – “Better At Making Time” – I would guess this was probably my most played song of 2014. If you were to ask me to describe what kind of music catches my ear, this would be it. Rubbery basslines, catchy hooks, and fun vibes = I’M ALL IN.
4. The Juan MacLean – “Love Stops Here” – TIMELESS.
3. Rustie – “Attak” (ft. Danny Brown) – The opening siren of “Attak” is like a clarion call to get buck. Once Danny Brown comes in, it’s game over; then when the bass hits, it’s game over pt. 2. This is the beastiest track of 2014.
2. Popcaan – “Everything Nice” – The perfection of “Everything Nice” is in its minimalism. This slow-cooked dancehall burner burrowed its way into my eardrums in the spring and became my “Serenity Now!”-esque mantra for 2014.
1. Vic Mensa – “Down On My Luck” – I always expected Vic Mensa to do big things, I just didn’t realize how soon we’d see his talent in full bloom. Well, it happened in 2014.
Literally every time I played this track for the first couple of months, I’d get messages on social media and phone calls in the studio asking about this song and raving about how good it is.
I thought for sure it’d take the crown as summer jam of 2014, but alas, Vic’s label never released it Stateside.
Oh well…label decisions don’t affect it’s banger status. This’ll still be the track I look back on as my jam of 2014.
BEST OF THE REST (a.k.a. #27-63)
Head High – “Megatrap (Real Mix)”
Shamir – “On The Regular”
Debukas – “Somedays” (Psychemagik Remix)
Museum Of Love – “In Infancy”
Tirzah – “No Romance”
Dom La Nena – “Batuque” (Jeremy Sole & Atropolis Remix)
Fat White Family – “Touch The Leather (Redux)”
Shlohmo & Jeremih – “Let It Go”
D.R.A.M. – “Cha Cha”
Palms Trax – “Forever”
Led Zeppelin – “Ramble On” (Souleance Edit)
Katerine – “Patouseul”
Joe Bickle – “Automatic”
Boddika & Joy Orbison – “Tricky’s Team”
Caribou – “Can’t Do Without You”
Woolfy – “City Lights”
Misun – “Nothing Else”
Jungle – “Busy Earnin”
Slam Dunk’d – “No Price” (ft. Chromeo & Al-P)
Nadastrom – “Fallen Down”
Anna Lunoe – “B.D.D.”
Baio – “Missive”
Maga Bo – “No Balanco da Canoa” (Bumps’ Neo Baile Remix)
Aphex Twin – “Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)”
50 Cent – “Hold On”
TV On The Radio – “Careful You”
Melody’s Echo Chamber – “Shirim”
House Of Spirits – “Holding On”
Motions – “All Gone”
The Drums – “Kiss Me Again”
The Drums – “I Can’t Pretend” (YACHT Remix)
Lolawolf – “Jimmy Franco”
Ryn Weaver – “Octahate”
Visuals – “A Pixel”
DJ Dodger Stadium – “Love Songs”
DJ Dodger Stadium – “By Your Side”
Orthy – “E.M.I.L.Y.” (Baio Remix)